When [artist id="501686"]Britney Spears[/artist] launches her Circus tour next March, in a move befitting her big-top-themed jaunt, she's bringing along some big cats: the [artist id="1841713"]Pussycat Dolls[/artist].

The pre-eminent burlesque dance troupe of the pop universe will open all U.S. dates on the Circus trek, which kicks off March 3 in New Orleans. And while most of us learned this just last week, the girls in PCD actually found out that they were hitting the road for Britney all the way back in October.

"Some of us heard on Halloween night," PCD's Ashley Roberts told MTV News at this weekend's KIIS-FM Jingle Ball in Los Angeles. "We were all in our costumes, and we're like, 'We're opening up for Britney Spears! That's so cool!' I think we all screamed and jumped a little bit."

And after they finished jumping, there was the small matter of keeping the gig a secret until Britney announced it on her Web site. Now it's full-speed ahead for the Dolls, who are looking forward to hitting the road with the woman they've dubbed the Queen of Pop.

"She's such a legend. ... She's making her way," fellow Doll Melody Thornton said. "And she's the Queen of Pop, along with Madonna, and we want to follow into those footsteps. So, we're excited."

And though not all the Dolls have actually met Spears, they're already planning on making up for lost time and working with the pop star on a track.

"Most definitely," Doll-in-Command Nicole Scherzinger said when asked if they'd be collaborating with Brit. "We love Britney. She's a friend of ours, and she's a really cool girl. She's down to earth, so we support her."